prdgreads

Today I have a review of the incredible The Death of Me by Michelle Davies, which was recently released in paperback!

Pages: 352

Synopsis: Is one of music’s greatest mysteries about to be solved?

‘He was a massive star until he did a headline grabbing retreat from the spotlight – but his disappearing act was FAKED. Fans won’t be happy when they find out – his reputation was dead in the water.’

When Isaac Naylor committed suicide after a teenage fan was found dead in his hotel room, the world thought it had lost one of the greatest rock stars of a generation. Naylor, lead singer of The Ospreys, had been arrested for causing the girl’s death and was on police bail when he drowned himself in the sea off the Devon coast.

Now, eight years on, music journalist Natalie Glass stumbles across a blind item on a US gossip website that suggests Naylor’s death wasn’t quite what it seemed – and he might in fact still be alive.

But as she delves deeper into what happened, Natalie finds she has a stark choice: give up trying to find out what happened to Naylor or risk her own obituary ending up in print.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this book is a slow burn thriller, whilst reading i fluctuated on what my rating would be, but the last quarter of this book was so fast paced that it couldn’t possibly be any less than 5 penguins (if I could give it more I definitely would!)

We’re following Natalie, who is a recently divorced woman and is totally down on her luck, she’s maxed out all her credit cards and as a music journalist is struggling to get any work – as a result of all of this she only gets visitation with her 9 year old a couple of days a week, because her husband says he can provide him with more stability.

One night whilst looking at a music gossip website where people can post anonymously, she sees something that makes her look twice.. Isaac Naylor is writing music again, except he’s can’t be, he committed suicide a few years ago.. didn’t he?

After a phone call to her best friend Bronwyn who just so happens to be a music producer, she is warned to leave it alone after all Isaac is dead so it can’t be true, Natalie is left feeling like Bronwyn is hiding something.. if Natalie can get to the bottom of it it would be the making of her career and all her money problems would be solved.

The story that follows is told in mixed formats, there’s emails and texts as well as newspaper/magazine articles and podcasts too. The mixed media really helped break the story up and stop it getting too heavy.

I was so immersed in this story that in certain parts I was left feeling like I couldn’t breath!

The best part about that is that Michelle wrote all of the characters so well that you’re left not knowing who you can trust. i personally didn’t work out the big twist before it was revealed!

If you trust my judgement at all when it comes to books, please pick this one up I promise you won’t be disappointed.

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Today I’m on the blogtour for the House of Ashes by Stuart Neville, thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author and the publisher for my copy.

Pages: 304

Synopsis: For Sara Keane, it was supposed to be a second chance. A new country. A new house. A new beginning with her husband Damien.

Then came the knock on the door. 

Elderly Mary Jackson can’t understand why Sara and her husband are living in her home. She remembers the fire, and the house burning down. But she also remembers the children. The children who need her, whom she must protect. 

‘The children will find you,’ she tells Sara, because Mary knows she needs help too. Sara soon becomes obsessed with what happened in that house nearly sixty years ago – the tragic, bloody night her husband never intended for her to discover. And Mary – silent for six decades – is finally ready to tell her story . . .

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: this was a gripping story from the beginning, it’s told from 2 different perspectives and 2 different timelines, it soon seems like the only thing connecting them is the house.. but how?

Sara and her husband have just moved into ‘The Ashes’ an old house that they got cheap because the old lady living there started a fire and it was decided she wasn’t safe living on her own anymore.

Sara doesn’t feel comfortable there, there’s blood stains on the kitchen floor that seem to reappear all the time no matter how many times she cleans it or what she uses, every morning she wakes up early to get rid of them before her husband sees them, because he wouldn’t like that.

Mary is the old lady who used to live in The Ashes, she turns up one day angry and confused asking Sara why she’s in her house, asking her if she’s met the children yet? – but there’s no one else in the house is there? what children?

Mary’s story is mainly told in the second timeline, she’s a child living in horrendous conditions, with 3 dads and 2 mums, shut up in the basement unless she’s needed for jobs around the house, no life for a child, but to her it’s normal, after all it’s all she’s ever known.

Sara and Mary’s stories become interwoven as the book progresses and what follows is chilling but gripping, it’s one of those stories that you don’t want to keep reading because you know it’s going to take a really dark turn but you’re so invested that you can’t turn the pages quick enough.

It’s been a while since a psychological thriller gave me goosebumps whilst I was reading. I would highly recommend this one.

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Pages: 298

Synopsis: The Briley Witch Chronicles, a light-hearted coming of age paranormal fantasy series with a dose of danger and a sprinkle of love…

Ever wondered what it would be like to truly understand a cat, every last meow, every narrowed glance, every jab of a paw?

When Briley Forester is torn from her world and dumped into the village of Maepole, she finds out the hard way. Trapped within a backward world without technology, she discovers that being a witch is hard, and that Smokey, her grouchy talking cat, knows more about men than she does.

Tricked into working as a delivery girl, and aided by an ancient grimoire, only by learning the powers of witchcraft can she ever hope to return home. But her journey is fraught with heartache and danger, love and despair. The powerful Whitehead family, haters of witches, will stop at nothing to be rid of her.

And lurking within the forest, the dark spirit lies in wait, ready to strike…

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: Well, this was a lot of fun. I had no idea what to expect going in, for some reason I assumed it would be a middle grade story with it involving a talking cat but I couldn’t have been more wrong!

Firstly, who wouldn’t love the ability to communicate with their 4 legged fur babies, my black cat Bella is currently making this review very hard to write as she’s climbing all over me and trying to nudge the phone out of my hand so I’d love to just know what was going through her mind 😂

Briley is a coder, but after something goes wrong at work she’s in her bosses bad books and goes home furious & after talking to her mum on the phone she decides to try meditation. Somehow it all goes wrong and she ends up in a totally new world where witches exist although not necessarily accepted, especially not new ones.

I did find the writing a little slow to begin with but that can happen with the first book in a new series as it sets the scene and builds the world you’re about to be thrown into, the world building was brilliant, I could picture it perfectly in my head and even had to check the cushion I was using a few times when they were talking about the straw bed.

There are a few characters to remember, which felt a little overwhelming at first but once you get into the story it all falls into place pretty easily. Just putting it out there that Sebastian and Calibor are my favourites so far, I think those two along with Clarissa and Leofard will be Briley and Smokey’s biggest supporters throughout this series.

For quite a short book this had me feeling all sorts of emotions, I laughed, I cried (yes actual tears) I got angry at characters within the book.

Would I recommend this to fans of witchy stories? absolutely, it gave me vibes of Charmed (the original series) and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Will I be continuing on with the series? Definitely, I need to know what happens!

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It’s been a while since I’ve done a review that isn’t part of a blog tour, but the lovely Sara Madderson provided me with an early copy of her new book A Fair Affair in exchange for an honest review.. who was I to say no?

Before I get into it though let me just say I have read every single one of Sara’s fiction books bar one, which she advised me not to read just yet, purely for personal reasons, she never disappoints and has become of my biggest supporters in both my book blogging life but also my personal life. I honestly cannot thank her enough ❤️

Enough of the soppiness now, let’s get into the book.

Pages: 268

Synopsis: Noah’s #1 celebrity crush since med school is Honor Chapman, one half of the UK’s most famous power-couple. When she moves her mother into his hospice, Noah gets to know the real Honor. And she’s spectacular. His vocation is helping the dying go peacefully. But his new obsession is bringing this woman back to life.

Honor’s on the brink. Her movie-star husband is cheating (again) and her mum is dying (for the first time, admittedly). They’ve built an empire from their family’s brand, but their gilded life feels more like a gilded cage. So, when delicious doctor Noah propositions her by a moonlit pool, she is there for it. His bedside manner has nothing on his poolside manner, and she deserves some extra-marital steam. It’s only fair!

It’s supposed to be a sexy little fling. It’s not supposed to jeopardise everything Honor has built. But as professional pressures mount and the paps circle, she and Noah must decide what’s worth fighting for.

A Fair Affair is a deliciously indulgent celebrity romance featuring divine doctors, glamorous lifestyles, Provencal vineyards and steamy poolside action! It’s just what the doctor ordered.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: well… I thought I knew what to expect from Saras books, but this just took everything up to another level and I was here for it!

Honor and Jackson have what looks on the surface to be the perfect marriage, both holding down pretty good jobs (or running their own business) 2 children in a god school and security on hand.. but it’s true what they say about not knowing what goes on behind closed doors.

Jackson has it all, a popular film star with endless female costars that he is allowed to have sex with.. (yes you heard that right, honor doesn’t have a very high sex drive anymore and knows that men ‘have needs’)

But what happens when the tables are turned? Will it work both ways?

In walks Dr Noah Thierry, sexy, confident and the biggest perk is that he’s had a crush on Honor Chapman since he was a medical student, so once he sees her he only has eyes for her.

This book broke my heart in places & fixed it in others, it made me laugh, it made me cry and god do I wish I could read it again for the first time 🥺

The sex scenes were very steamy so prepare yourself for that 🔥

I definitely have myself a new favourite Sara Madderson book that’s going to take some beating in the future!

This book is released on the 2nd February and you all need to add it to your TBR’s

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Today I’m on the Book Tour for A Balancing Kind Of Love by Joanna Cates, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author for my copy.

Pages: 259

Synopsis: Kirsty Young, a 40-year-old single woman, is at a crossroads in her life. She works hard and enjoys socialising, especially with her best friend Henrietta Green and the rest of the gang. However, something is missing. Has she left it too late to meet Mr Right and become a mother?
With life-changing decisions to make, she packs her bags and travels off to Ibiza and Cyprus on a six-month sabbatical.
Max Bright, now in charge of the family business, Brightside Hotels, is emotionally exhausted. All the travelling and keeping an eye on his mother and playboy brother is taking its toll. He is unhappy with his lifestyle, and he wants balance. Is there room in his life for romance?
Max and Kirsty’s paths cross and it isn’t love at first sight. Fortunately, they head off in different directions. When fate and a little help from their friends intervene, they meet again. Is there such a thing as a second chance?

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: Oh my gosh I LOVED THIS! – I devoured it in one sitting in just a few hours, I just couldn’t put it down!

I do sometimes feel a bit guilty when I read a book so quickly that an author has put so much work into, but when it grips you what can you do?!

Kirsty as a character was relatable in some ways, although we weren’t similar in any way, she really resonated with me and I just wanted to give her a big cuddle and tell her she wasn’t alone.

Right from the beginning Max was a little standoffish and came across as rude, unhelpful and just everything you don’t want in a guy, but what a turn around he had in the book!

Once you got to know the real Max and dig a little deeper you soon learn that that isn’t the real him and there are reasons that he’s built so many walls around himself, the question is can Kirsty knock them down?

This was a real will they/won’t they story. Every time it looked like a dead cert something would happen to put a spanner in the works that would leave you frustrating and shouting at the book (or is that just me?!)

I can’t tell you too much more because part of the joy of this book is in the reading and not knowing much. but there are plenty of loveable characters for you to get behind, and just remember that not everyone is as they seem.

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Today I’m on the book tour for Birth Rite by Anthony Steven, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos book tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author for my copy.

Pages: 400

Synopsis: Nine-year-old David Ryan is in mortal danger. He has a deadly secret that is unknown even to himself. But there is someone that does know: a relentless killer born of hatred, who draws upon dark powers to destroy God’s chosen ones.

As David grows into a troubled teenager, he has toconfront the truth about himself to have any hope of stopping the malignant spread of evil that is engulfing his small town. He must accept his birth-rite, or the whole world will burn.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧.5

My Thoughts: this was the first book I read knowing it was going to be reviewed & the one that convinced me I was doing the right thing getting back into it!

The writing was intricate and kept me interested even if for the first third of the book I didn’t really understand what was going on, the jump between the timelines and the characters confused me. But the writing kept me reading, it was so well written that I just had to keep going.

The timelines and characters did all start to come together and make sense but I’d say the story really comes into its own in the last part, it’s essentially the story of good and evil and who will win.

Although parts of this story were dark I wouldn’t class it as horror, maybe more of a thriller with some fantastical elements thrown in! – 2 of my favourite genres!

At a few points within the book I didn’t actually know who’s side I was on, so credit to the author for making me doubt myself throughout!

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of thriller stories where the conclusion is never straight forward and for those who enjoy a bit of light fantasy too.

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Today I’m on the book tour for 3 Days In Vienna by John Steinberg, thank you to Zoé at Zooloos Book Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part and thank you to the author for my copy

Firstly, please be gentle with me, this is the first review I’ve posted since my unplanned break in November and I feel a little rusty 😂

Pages: 350

Synopsis: Elizabeth McCreary’s mother Lillian Frankl was a child of the Kindertransport – but she refuses to speak of the past. Determined to learn more, Elizabeth flies to Vienna on the start of a life-changing journey.

At home in London, her lawyer husband Anthony is facing disgrace. Vast sums have been siphoned off from his firm’s client account to support the far right British Independent Party of which his father, William, is Treasurer. William’s close links with the Crediton Trust in Devon, a pharmaceutical company of prestige and power, are helping to make his political ambitions a reality. However, behind the big-business façade of Crediton lies a dark past rooted in Nazi Germany, of theft and the sinister use to which its drugs were put during World War Two. 

For the McCrearys, one astounding revelation follows another. Nothing can ever be the same – and all roads lead inexorably back to Vienna.

My Rating: 🐧🐧🐧🐧

My Thoughts: when I picked this book up, although it wasn’t the first book I read that I knew would have to be reviewed it was the one that I knew would be the first review I would post in 2 and a half months & I instantly felt the pressure, like I would forget which aspects were important and which ones would be perfect to mention.. but once I turned my brain off and allowed myself to get lost in the story I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Elizabeth was such a likeable character I was in her corner and wanted her to find out her family history whilst also having a bit of a holiday away from a husband who doesn’t seem to do anything and children who can be a little demanding.

We soon learn that the story goes deeper than anyone ever thought possible & uncovering the secrets could put not only her life but the lives of many others in danger!

There are secrets being kept at home too so none of our characters had an easy ride.

The character development in this book was incredible, there were characters that I started off the book really disliking that I soon grew to love.

Parts of this book made me smile, other parts made me cry and I felt all of the emotions in between.

I was hooked on this book from the beginning, it was fast paced without being too fast, one I will be highly recommending to everyone.

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Today is my stop on the book tour for Dementia Adventure and Seaweed in My Hair by Miller Caldwell, thank you to Kelly at Love Books Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Seaweed in My Hair

Synopsis: Central London gets Kate and Greg Bailey down. The skills of a hair stylist and a health club manager seem transferable to the Scottish Isle of Arran. But the move turns out to be a disaster for them both. As their relationship tears apart, Kate must survive traumatic events. Can she turn her world around on her own? Can she possibly find contentment in her life as the wild sea churns over and the fresh sea breezes blow in her direction?

Dementia Adventure

Synopsis: Retired Postman Ronnie Jackson suffers from Dementia. He retains a very early hour of rising and on several occasions sees something suspicious at the Blackwaterfoot slipway. He is not believed. Can Ronnie make sense of what has happened to him and can he settle happily after his traumatic experiences?

If you like the sound of this it can be bought here https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09CTNVSFG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_MBA6PH6RJ0SC66BXRX11

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Today is my stop on the blog tour for Servant of the Lesser Good by Shaun Paul Stevens & I am coming at you with a spotlight where I tell you all about the book!

Synopsis: A Cursed Symphony and Magic which tells Stories in your Mind
High Mistress Talia is a hell-raising socialite with a murky past. But she has a bright future. Beautiful, rich, and a virtuoso harpist, she’s betrothed to the Count of Brecht. In short, she has it all. Or so it would seem.

Marla Holst is the new lady’s maid, but never has the ‘help’ been so unhelpful. Marla, real name Mist, has only one mission: to stop the high mistress’s marriage. By any means necessary.

But complications abound. Talia’s disturbed daughter, a girl who can see into the future, is cursed with the stigma of a devil-worshipping father. The count’s father, the Duke of Rizak, is a recluse, too afraid of assassins to show his face. And all the nobility want to do is duel.

Meanwhile, the highlight of the season—a recital of the famous ‘Cursed Symphony,’ draws ever closer.

About the Author: Born in London in 1972, Shaun spent his formative years in the shadows of the dreaming spires of Oxford, before moving to Nottingham, where he graduated university with a degree in English and Media.

Navigating a path through music, art and the internet, writing came calling and he found himself ensconced in alternate realities and gritty fantasy worlds. He has written several books to date.

Shaun now lives in Brighton, on the south coast of England, with his patient family and ungrateful cat, generally being a nerd.

I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of this book and it sounds brilliant, I can’t wait to get to it when I get back to reviewing! but if you like the sound of it, it can be bought using the following link…

Servant of the Lesser Good https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09MGSNK1G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_S6GG1JHH3556PGWJQ1ZS

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Today I’m on the book tour for Murders at Blackwaterfoot by Miller Caldwell, thank you to Kelly at Love Books Tours for organising it and inviting me to take part.

Synopsis: Based at Lamlash on Arran, PC Rory Murdoch has a minimal caseload, giving him ample time to think about his daughter, Ella, and her special needs. Then three murders occur in close succession. His supervising officer, mainland-based D.I. Samuel Grant is not supportive. Can Rory stand up to this bully and undermine their superior? Rory receives a letter from Belgium and Ella has a remarkable insight both of which lead to High Court trials in Ayr. How can Rory cope with three murder trials while his mind is preoccupied with greater matters? This is a fast-paced story set on the stunningly beautiful island of Arran with elements of humour, pathos, romance and great sadness.

About the Author: Miller H Caldwell was born in 1950 growing up in the manse at Kirriemuir,in the north east of Scotland. He finished schooling in Glasgow determined to lead a humanitarian life. He was appointed by the Church of Scotland to work in Ghana. He was the Secretary to the Tema Council of Churches and the Tema Community Project. He received Charlie, an African monkey, as a gift for providing employment for a large group of agriculturalists. He also owned an African Grey parrot called Kofi. (qv The Parrot’s Tale) He met his wife in Ghana.
Returning to the UK in 1978 he enrolled at London University for a post graduate degree in African Studies. He worked at St Modan’s High School, Stirling before becoming a reporter to the children’s panels. Promotion led him from Kilmarnock to Ayr and finally to be the Regional then first Authority Reporter for Dumfries & Galloway. In 2002 in London he received the inter-agency Community Care Award. In 2003 he retired and became an author. In 2006 he was appointed Camp Manager at Mundihar in the NW Frontier of Pakistan following the south Asian earthquake. He was presented with the International Award for services to earthquake victims at a ceremony in Islamabad. He has been the President of the Dumfries Burns Club three times and Chair of the Scottish Association for the Study of Offending. He is married to Jocelyn and has two daughters, Fiona and Laura.
His other loves are his trombone, tenor sax and clarinet.
He is currently the President of the Dumfries Burns Club in its 200th year. Miller is a direct descendant of the Bard.

If you like the sound of this is can be bought using the following link…

https://amzn.to/3E54Wen

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